and is often spoken of as a thing to be enjoy'd here in this World: He that hath the Son, hath Life; and he that hath not the Son, hath not Life; but it is chiefly applied to our State after Death, because then we fhall enter upon a more complete Enjoyment of the Happiness of it; whereas here it is mix'd and allay'd with many Trials and Temptations, Calamities and Miferies. But there shall be no Sorrow, nor any more Pain, but all Tears hall be wiped away from our Eyes, and all the Diftreffes of this Life come utterly to an end for evermore.

We are told, Joh. v. 26. That as the Father bath Life in himself, fo be bath given to the Son to have Life in himself; and Joh. xvii. 2. that he bath given the Son Power over all Flesh, that he should give Eternal Life to as many as he hath given him. In these Words we are informed, that Eternal Life is the Gift of the Son; and the

Gift will bear a great Resemblance to those Perfections which the Giver himself enjoys. We shall be faion'd like his glorious Body; we fhall fee him as he is; our Conversation will be in Heaven with him; and when he appears in Glory, we shall be like him; Our Fellowship is to be with him, and with the Father. Such then, in fome measure, as the Life of God himself is, will this their Eternal Life be; fuch their Happiness, fuch their Difpofitions and Defires, such their Gratifications and Enjoyments. As no fort of Evil, Pain, or Uneasiness, can invade or approach the Divine Nature, fo neither will any thing of this Kind be capable of difquieting their Peace, or coming nigh their Dwellings As God is completely happy in himself, overflowing with Mercy and Benevolence, undisturb'd by any Cares or Fears, any Paffions or Inquietudes; fo the Righteous, as the

Wife Man fays, is fatisfy'd with himSelf; he enjoys a perpetual Feast within his own Breaft; a kind of SelfSufficiency, like that of God's; a Calm and Composure which no Storms or Tempests from without can break in upon or disorder. Again, in relation to Things without; As God has

perfect Complacency in his Works of Creation and Providence, in his making and governing the World; fo the Righteous, in their Eternal Life, fhall have the fame Pleasure arifing to them from hence with God; they will be taken up with Wonder and holy Astonishment in furveying the Effects of his Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, which will be no longer mysterious and unintelligible to them; they will have a clear Infight into those Depths of Providence which are in our present State unfearchable, and paft our finding out. Those dark Difpenfations which now puzzle us, VOL. II. which,

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which, through their feeming Inequa lity, are apt to raise Murmuring and Repinings in us, will then yield us Matter of Praife and Adoration; to fearch into them will be an Entertainment full of Delight and Tranfport. We fhall not only have the fame kind of Pleasure in the Works of God in general, as he has: But as he has a Pleasure in the Profperity of his Servants, and is recreated with their Happiness, fo we fhall participate in the Felicity of each other; we shall communicate our Knowledge, and dispense our Joy, and unbolom our Delights, and feast one another with every thing that is entertaining to ourselves; infomuch that each shall enjoy the Happiness of all; all striving together, in holy Love and friendly Emulation, to increase the Happinefs, and raise the Enjoyments of the Family of Heaven. This, and infinitely more than this, more than Eye

hath

hath feen, or Ear heard, or Tongue can express, or Heart conceive, is contain'd and imply'd, in this fingle Expreffion, That our Eternal Life fhall be in the Likeness of the Son and of the Father. Were we to write a thousand Volumes upon this Subject, had we the Tongue of Men and Angels, were the Blefs'd above to come down to us, and give us an Account of their Eternal Life in the most fublime Descriptions, what greater thing could they fay of it, than that it is like the Eternal Life of God. For in this short Expreffion is included all possible Perfection and Happiness. When we are told this, our Imaginations cannot conceive, nor our Defires reach forth, after any thing beyond it.

But the Words of Chrift do not only exhibit the Nature of our Eternal Life, but the Means of attaining it. It would indeed be but of small Service

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